West Brom terminated the contract of chief trainer Eric Ramsay a mere 44 days into his leadership, as the club found itself precariously near the Championship demotion area subsequent to Tuesday evening’s 1-1 stalemate against Charlton.
Ramsay, aged 34, did not secure a victory in any solitary league match throughout his brief spell, amassing merely four points from an available 24 across eight fixtures – an outcome that finally rendered his role unsustainable. Assistant manager Dennis Lawrence has likewise departed from The Hawthorns.
In an official announcement, the club declared: “West Bromwich Albion have ended their association with the manager of the men’s senior squad, Eric Ramsay. The club wishes to officially extend its appreciation to Eric and Dennis and offers them its best wishes for their future endeavors.”
James Morrison, a first-team coach, temporarily takes over for the second occasion this campaign, with a formidable journey to Oxford, another team battling against demotion, on Saturday serving as his initial undertaking.
Ramsay took charge of a team positioned 18th, yet still boasting a seven-point advantage over the bottom trio, when he succeeded Ryan Mason. That buffer has been almost completely worn away, and Albion currently occupy a spot merely one point above the demotion area with a dozen fixtures left.
The forbearance of the fans expired a while back. A 3-0 drubbing at Portsmouth incensed the supporters, and amidst Saturday’s two-nil home defeat to Coventry, the stands echoed with shouts of ‘You’re getting dismissed tomorrow morning’ and ‘Eric Ramsay, your football is terrible’.
Tuesday’s stalemate with Charlton, wherein George Campbell’s header broke a 405-minute scoring barren spell before Lyndon Dykes equalized for the away side, proved to be the breaking point.
Ramsay had seemed resolute in his last media briefing, asserting: “I am not here following five defeats where the team has failed to compete effectively. Across the previous four league fixtures, the team has shown a fighting spirit, they are battling, and I don’t perceive an absence of rapport between myself and the squad.”